Annual Report for Computers in Homes Published

The 2020 Trust has published its Annual Report for the Computers in Homes Programme and copies are being distributed to stakeholders. A .pdf of the 2014 Annual Report can be downloaded from here. The report records achievements during the year ending 30 June 2014 and compares outcomes with those of recent years. For the fourth year in a row, the programme has exceeded the targets set for the Digital Literacy and Connection programme funding received from Government. The Trust was contracted to support 1500 families during the year, but with additional funding secured from other partners, we have been able to support a total of 1647 families. In addition, funding from the Ministry of Education enabled us to support a 98 refugee families during the year.

We have included in our report comprehensive results from the surveys that we ask all families participating in Computers in Homes to complete. The first survey is completed during training and provides a profile of programme participants. The second survey is completed some 12 months after graduation and reports what difference Computers in Homes has made to the lives of participants. Some key findings from the 2013-14 year are:

Families from 300 different schools participated in the programme during the year

81% participants are women

53% are Māori; 13% are Pasifika; 26% are Pakeha/European

44% left school with no formal qualification

27% enrolled in further training within 12 months of completing CiH training

67% were unemployed when they joined the programme

21% secured a new job or a promotion in an existing job following CiH training

We have also seen an increase in the number of CiH families connecting to the internet. In 2010-11 just over 50% were connecting. During the 2013-14 year 70% connected after completing training and after 12 months the percentage of families retaining an internet connection had risen to 76%.

But we still face a big challenge in ensuring all school-aged children have access to the internet in their homes. The 2013 Census revealed that 62,000 households with school-aged children didn’t have access – that represents around 200,000 children, or nearly 30% of all school-aged children. Our goal is to increase the number of families supported each year to 5000; we can then make some real progress in ensuring all our children have equitable learning opportunities.